New Friends Can Be Trouble
by Attenia
Summary: When Aragorn turns thirteen, Elrond insists that he start trying to make some human friends. Things don't go as planned. The twins try to help, and much bribery is required.


Legolas did his best not to laugh at the expression on Estel's face. The human folded his arms and stared mutinously at his father. "No. I won't do it."

"Estel, you are thirteen years old, and it is time for you to learn to interact with humans, not just elves."

"I can interact with them fine!"

"No, you can't, ion nin, today should have proved that much."

"It's not my fault! How was I to know that they didn't speak Sindarin? I thought they were only teasing me! What type of parents only teach their children one language?"

Once again, Legolas suppressed a laugh. From what he gathered, the children in the village had thrown a fit about Estel being arrogant and entitled. The poor boy genuinely hadn't understood why they could only speak Westeron and had been sure they were pulling a prank on him.

"Not all parents have the luxury of time to teach their children languages, nor the means to hire tutors," Elrond explained patiently.

"Then why don't their friends, or their uncles, or trainers –"

"You are forgetting that mortals live short lives. Their friends and relatives die all too quickly. They don't have people with Erestor's or Glorfindel's centuries of experience to teach them."

Estel didn't appear convinced. "I don't like them. They smell, and they talk funny."

Elrond rolled his eyes and turned to Legolas, his eyes pleading for help.

Legolas schooled his expression as he spoke to his young friend. "First of all, Estel, it is you who speaks funny, not them. You have a Sindarin accent when speaking Westeron. They are speaking it as all humans do. Secondly, most humans don't have servants they can call to draw them a bath whenever they wish – though even among those who do, I'll admit that humans' bathing habits leave something to be desired."

Elrond shot him a _not helping_ look, and Legolas quickly went on. "Your brothers spend enough time with the rangers and among other humans that their Westeron is close to without accent. Let them teach you. Think of it as a challenge – by the time you're done, you should be able to speak Westeron without any humans realizing you've been raised by elves."

Estel never could resist a challenge. "Alright," he agreed grudgingly. "But they still smell."

"Get used to it, Estel. You know how you keep asking your brothers and me to take you hunting orcs? Well there won't be time for daily baths then, so the scent of unwashed bodies is something you'll have to resign yourself to if you ever want to come on more dangerous hunting trips with us."

"Fine," Estel sighed. "I'll try again. But only if the twins will teach me to use a sling properly while they're tutoring me in Westeron pronunciation."

"Agreed." Elrond smiled in relief. "I will talk to the village elders and smooth things over. I must have some more of that dwarven wine they like so much…"

Elrond had forbidden anyone from accompanying Estel to the village, citing that he needed to navigate this on his own, but it was a good thing the twins disobeyed his orders and followed behind in secret.

Estel had barely been gone a few hours when he returned unwillingly, being dragged by Elladan and Elrohir. He was fighting so fiercely that it took both of their efforts to subdue them. "Let me go, let me go! I'll grind their stupid faces into dust!"

Legolas and Elrond exchanged looks of shock. They'd never seen Estel so angry or so intent on violence.

"What happened?" Elrond demanded.

Estel let out a string of dwarfish curses that made even Legolas wince, and renewed his attempts to break free of his brothers' hold.

"He – he mentioned Glorfindel's and Erestor's wedding," Elladan said, clearly struggling hard not to laugh. "And the humans…"

"Well, once they realized that both Glorfindel and Erestor are both male, they didn't take it well. I believe the words 'disgusting' and 'unnatural' were used, along with a few more unsavory terms."

Elrond sighed. "What did you do, Estel?"

"I did exactly what I was taught! I challenged them to a duel for Glorfindel's and Erestor's honor. When they accepted, I broke two of their arms, knocked another out cold, and…"

Legolas closed his eyes in horror as Estel went on. It was lucky the twins had been there.

"Let's just say it's fortunate we intervened." Elrohir rolled his eyes.

"I don't understand, Ada." Estel's face scrunched in true confusion. "They all attacked me at once. Why would they do that? It was an honor duel, the rules dictated that we fight one on one. And then they got all mad when I defeated them – and why did the twins drag me away? I wasn't doing anything wrong."

Legolas had to admire Elrond's patience as he sat his youngest son down and explained everything. Estel was furious when he found out that most humans decried love between two males or two females, and renewed his attempts to get back to the village, intent on dueling every resident until they had the matter settled.

Though neither Glorfindel nor Erestor said anything to Estel about the incident, Legolas easily recognized Glorfindel's handiwork in the fine set of knives Estel received anonymously. The prince also conveniently forgot to mention to Elrond that Erestor had finally given in to Estel's many years of pleas and stopped forcing him to learn the lengthy tomes of long-lost history that Elrond favored.

They had to wait several weeks for seventeen barrels of dwarven wine to arrive before Elrond braved the village again. Much to Estel's disappointment, his father once more settled matters, and he was expected to continue his efforts to make some human friends.

By now, his Westeron was almost without accent, and Legolas hoped that would help his friend fit in better.

"I don't want to, Ada," Estel whined. "I don't like humans!"

"You are human, Estel."

Legolas snorted. Estel might be human in body, but his heart and soul were with the firstborn.

"I don't care, I don't like them. Why do I have to be friends with humans? I have plenty of friends among the elves."

"You will have to trust me on this, Estel. Your future is more intertwined with men than it is with elves."

"No it's not. It's my future, after all, and I get to pick my own path. No matter who you are born, or what the world expects of you, your fate is ultimately yours to choose. I choose the elves."

Elrond seemed to have no response to this. After all, Estel was merely repeating the elf lord's own words of wisdom right back at him. Apparently, he hadn't anticipated for words he taught his son to help him one day deal with the burden of his birthright to be used by Estel to actively avoid Elrond's other steps to help him embrace that birthright.

Legolas jumped in to help. "How about this, Estel? You make one human friend, just one, and I will take you orc hunting."

Elrond winced, but Estel didn't notice as he leapt up in excitement. "Really?"

Legolas glanced at the elf lord, who gave a resigned nod. "Really."

It wasn't entirely unexpected by now when Estel came storming back from the village in high dudgeon.

"Please tell me you didn't duel anyone," Legolas groaned.

"I hate humans! They're all liars!" Estel ranted, pacing back and forth before his friend.

"What did they say?"

"They said I cheated!"

"Cheated at what?"

"At the game. There were two teams, and each team had to relay their token to the end point. The idiots were just upset my team won, and they accused me of cheating. Me! Glorfindel would skin me alive if he ever caught me cheating, who do they think they're talking to?"

Legolas was sure there was more to the story, and urged his friend to a bench, hoping Estel would calm down enough to tell him. "Why did they say you were cheating? Did they give reasons?"

"They said going in the trees was against the rules. Why would it be? They didn't say no tree walking, and honestly, the ground below was too rocky to navigate quickly, I don't know why no one else did it."

Legolas chuckled as he finally understood. "Humans can't tree walk, Estel."

"Of course they can. Everyone can tree walk."

"No, all elves can tree walk. Humans can't."

"But I can."

"Yes, because I've been teaching you to do it ever since you were five. None of them know how to do it."

Estel was taken aback only for a moment. "Ok, but even if that's so, if it's against the rules, they should have banned it! You can't have a race and secretly ban half of the resources on the racetrack without telling people, then call it after you've already lost."

Spoken like Glorfindel's true student. "I know, Estel, I know, but they never expected you to take to the trees, so they never thought to disallow it. It's a simple misunderstanding, mellon nin, nothing more."

Estel was still fuming quietly, and Legolas tried to think of how he could help his friend. "How about you try finding some shared interests with these humans? Surely, there must be something you have in common."

"Maybe…" Estel was quiet for a few minutes as he thought. "Yes. Ok, I can do that. But they'd better not accuse me of cheating again!"

For their sake, Legolas hoped not.

He managed to convince Elrond to let him accompany Estel this time, under the condition that he observe only and not get involved. Estel looked determined as he shouldered a large bag for the short walk down to the village.

"What's in there?" Legolas asked with some trepidation.

"My interests," Estel said brightly. "I brought a couple of options, surely they will like some of the same things I do."

Of course, the first thing Estel suggested was training. The other humans all seemed interested when he took out his bow, and fortunately didn't take affront at his surprise that they had no weapons of their own or any standing targets. Targets were quickly set up, and after firing off a few practice shots himself, Estel handed his bow over to another boy.

"Here, Edward, you go."

"Sure." Edward fumbled awkwardly with the weapon. "What do I do with it?"

Estel frowned. "You shoot the target."

"We don't know how to shoot a bow, Estel," another boy said impatiently.

"Oh. Oh, well, that's ok. I can show you. Here, you hold the arrow like this, now draw your arm back. Good, now hold. Move your foot a bit forward, widen your stance…"

"It hurts my arms," Edward complained.

"Of course it hurts, you're holding a bow steady at full draw," Estel snapped. "It's supposed to hurt."

Edward dropped the bow to the ground. "I don't want to do this." The other children mumbled in agreement.

Legolas watched carefully, and was relieved when Estel sighed but didn't make a fuss. Having been brought up by elves, he was remarkably patient for a human child, though he certainly had his moments of temper.

"Alright, how about we spar, then? I brought a couple of practice swords, Glorfindel says it's always fairer if you practice with swords made in the same style."

This seemed to interest the other humans, and seven of them took up the spare blunted practice swords Estel handed them.

It soon became apparent that none of them had so much as held a sword in their lives. Estel had them all disarmed in a matter of seconds. Legolas could see his young friend's frustration. Estel was used to getting some challenge in his training sessions, and it was clear he was disappointed.

They persevered, and Estel even managed to teach the other children some basic parries, when one of the girls tripped over the hem of her dress and fell down, gashing her arm on a sharp rock. She burst into tears, and the others hurriedly gathered around her.

Legolas forced himself to remain where he was. He'd promised Elrond, after all, and he could see from here that the girl wasn't seriously injured.

"It's ok, Annie," Estel said calmly, pushing through the crowd, taking out the pack of healing supplies he never went anywhere without on his father's insistence. "That's not too deep, it'll only need a few stitches. Here, take these for the pain."

Annie took the herbs, and Estel started stitching. Apparently, she hadn't realized that the herbs would only take the edge off the pain rather than dull it entirely. She shrieked and jerked her arm away before a single stitch could be finished. Estel frowned at her. "You have to keep still or I could end up stitching skew. Do you need someone to hold you down?"

The girl gave him a terrified look, and Estel shrugged, turning back to the wound. When Annie wouldn't sit still, he asked some of the others to hold her down. They summarily refused, leaving Estel to do his best to stitch and restrain her at once.

He was doing a pretty good job of it, but her screams invariably attracted the village adults.

"What are you doing to my daughter!"

Estel looked up. "Oh, you're her mother? Good, can you hold her down while I do these last few stitches?"

The woman wrenched her child from Estel's grip. "What's wrong with you! She's hurt, she needs the healer."

At this, Estel's face lit up. "That's a great idea, I'd love to consult with a more experienced healer."

He followed them to the healer's home, watching intently as the man gave Annie some more herbs for the pain.

"Is anler root really the best for this case? This pain is sharp, not diffuse, and besides, that'll make her dizzy. I used cravi leaves to help her while I stitch, and I was planning on giving her some willow bark to chew afterward."

The healer, an older man named Mark, glared at Estel. "Are you questioning my expertise, boy?"

Estel looked genuinely surprised. "Of course not. I'm telling you my thoughts so that you can teach me."

That seemed to mollify him, but by the time Annie's arm was stitched, Mark no longer had any desire to teach Estel. It was clear that the young human already knew more about the healing arts than the older healer ever would. Estel questioned him on everything from the thread type, to the stitch style, to the herbs used for a poultice and even the method of bandaging. He kept bringing up ideas and concepts Mark had never heard of, unintentionally shaming the healer.

"Out, get out!" Mark shouted, at the end of his patience.

"But I still don't understand why –" Estel's question was cut off when the door slammed in his face.

He trudged away from the house, his shoulders slumped. Legolas knew he wasn't supposed to interfere, but he couldn't see his friend so downcast without trying to help.

"I know you're trying, Estel," he said gently, putting an arm around the human's shoulders. "You've been brought up very differently to these people, and it's hard."

"I'll never be friends with them." Estel sighed in defeat. "We don't have anything in common, and they think I'm weird."

"Keep trying," Legolas encouraged, silently cursing Elrond for his insistence on this, no matter how necessary it may be. "You still have some things in your bag?"

"I do," Estel admitted. "Alright, I'll try again."

Legolas was relieved to find that the remaining items were a number of books and a tactical board game Erestor had taught Estel, gifting him with his own set once he'd mastered it enough to be a challenge to the older elf.

No one could get into trouble with books and a board game, right?

They tried the game first. The rules were simple, but the strategy was not. One game could take hours, and it involved a lot of sitting quietly and calculating possible options. Estel was barely getting started when Edward began to get bored, not having been raised to have elven-level patience. "How long does this go on for?"

"It's only the third turn. It goes on until we finish."

"This is stupid." Edward got up from the table, abandoning the game completely. Estel rolled his eyes, but reached into his bag. "What about stories, then? I've brought some of my favorite tales with me – Erestor says they all really happened, even the ones with dragons! What are your favorites?"

"You… you can read?"

"Of course I can read."

At this, Edward went off in a huff.

Annie, however, came forward. "I can read. Can I take a look?"

"Sure." Estel handed her a book with a bound red cover. "This is my favorite."

Annie stared at the first page for a few moments. "I can't read this."

"It's in Westeron."

"No, it's not."

Estel glanced at the book in confusion. "Yes, it is. Legolas?"

Legolas came forward, to hell with his promise to Elrond. "That is a very old dialect of Westeron, Estel."

"So? It's still Westeron."

"Yes, but it's difficult to understand for people who speak normal Westeron."

"Why? Most of my favorite volumes were written long before this one, and I can read them, Westeron or Sindarin."

"Not everyone is as well educated as you, Estel," Legolas murmured.

Of course, Annie's mother had to choose that moment to walk in. "Excuse me? Not well educated? I'll have you know that my daughter has received the finest education of anyone in the village, how dare you imply otherwise!"

Legolas thought it was time to make a strategic retreat.

Estel point-blank refused to go back to the village, and after Legolas gave Elrond a detailed account of exactly how hard these visits were for his son, the elf lord relented. The prince thought he'd heard the last of the human children from the village when, a month later, Edward turned up in the middle of the night, knocking on the door of the Last Homely House and asking for Estel.

Intrigued, Legolas accompanied his friend, along with Elrond and the twins.

"Edward? What's wrong?" Estel peered at the other boy in concern, whose eyes were filled with tears.

"It's my brother, Estel. He's sick, and Mark doesn't know what to do for him. You know about herbs and stuff. Can you come?"

Estel didn't hesitate for a moment. "Of course."

"Why don't we all go?" Elrond smiled gently at boy. "Lead the way, Edward."

Elrond murmured to Legolas and the twins to let Estel lead, intervening only if necessary. They hurried to the village, to where young John lay in bed. He had a bright red rash over much of his torso and appeared to be struggling to breathe.

Legolas had no idea what the problem was, but Estel recognized it at once. "Oh, that's just tival poisoning. You must have come into contact with it somehow. It's not serious, even though it may feel like it, and it'll wear off eventually. I can give you something to help with your symptoms, though. Here, lie back."

Elrond watched in silent approval as Estel made a tea of athelas and a few other herbs. He glanced at Elrond, who nodded his affirmation; Estel had done everything right. Estel handed the tea over to John's mother, who helped him drink it. Within minutes, the boy's breathing had eased up, and he wasn't scratching at his arms quite as badly.

Edward threw his arms around Estel. "Thank you, Estel."

Estel shrugged, his face slightly red. "It wasn't a difficult remedy, really, if you've seen it before. And with my brothers, I've definitely seen it before – it's one of their favorite prank items."

"Yes, which brings up the question of how he came into contact with such a rare herb, one that grows only in Imladris, and that the village healer would not likely have heard of." Elrond turned to his twin sons, who refused to meet his eye. The Eyebrow was raised, and Elladan and Elrohir wisely fled, muttering an excuse about scouting the route home.

Edward didn't seem interested in the exchange. "Do you want to come over tomorrow, Estel? My cousin is here from the other town over, and he doesn't believe that it's possible to walk in the trees. I told him I could do it too – would you teach me?"

"Of course." Estel grinned. "I'll come early, before your cousin is awake. You'll be showing off to him in no time."

Legolas shared a smile with Elrond. It looked like the beginnings of a friendship.

Two months later

Estel returned late, grinning widely.

"How did it go, mellon nin?" Legolas asked.

"It was great! Fishing with those rods was too boring, so we decided to get some spears to throw and dive for the fish. Edward and the others loved it."

"Where… where did you get the spears from?"

"Oh, we borrowed them from Edward's dad. I'm sure he won't mind."

"Did you ask permission, Estel?"

"No, but they weren't in an off-limits section of the armory, so they obviously weren't restricted from public use."

Legolas highly doubted that there was an armory in the town, and wondered exactly how Edward's dad would react to the innocent act of 'borrowing'. He suspected that some more dwarven wine might be in order.

Elrond had certainly given the twins an earful about their well-intentioned 'help', but it had done the trick. Curing John had gained Estel the trust of many of the village children. While before his superior education had made them think of him as stuck up, and he of them as stupid, they now eagerly learned from him.

Estel was a good teacher, and enjoyed spending time with others who weren't better than him in everything he attempted, as was the case when he worked with elves many decades his senior.

"I asked Edward, and he says we're friends now!"

"That's great, Estel." Legolas was truly happy for him.

"They'll never be my best friend, though. No one will replace you." Estel threw himself at Legolas, catching him in an unexpected but welcome hug.

"Just as no one will replace you in my heart, mellon nin." Legolas stroked back the human's hair fondly.

"You know what this means, of course?"

"What?"

"I have human friends! Now you have to take me orc hunting."

Oh dear. He'd forgotten about that, but Legolas was an elf of his word. "Fine, Estel, but your brothers are coming with us, as is Glorfindel."

"Of course," Estel agreed happily. "Can I bring Edward and John? They didn't believe me when I told them my brothers had slain over a hundred orcs each. I bet they will once they see the twins fight."

Legolas tried to imagine how much dwarven wine would be required to win back the village's favor if one of their children was mauled by orcs under Imladris' watch. "Um… maybe next time, Estel. If we're going orc hunting, you need to check that your weapons are all sharp and ready."

"I know, I know. Glorfindel has drilled that into me well enough." Estel hurried off to see to it, leaving Legolas to smile warmly after him. New friends could certainly be a lot of trouble, but he was glad Estel had finally managed to navigate it, albeit with some questionable help from his brothers.

Legolas laughed at the memory of Elrond's wrath after that incident, and hurried after his friend, ready for their next adventure.


End file.
